Stormy weather

At last the rain arrived this week... decent rain, not the usual brief sprinkle that makes little difference. Here's an ominous cloud appearing over Allotment Heaven (click to enlarge). So no need to water stuff outside, though still having to water gallons into the greenhouse.
I'm beginning to wonder if I'm overwatering the tomatoes. A couple of the first ones to redden have split their skins, apparently a sign of inconsistent watering. Since they're watered every day may be they're drying out during the day and getting lots of water for overnight. So I'm going to water less and see what happens.
Got excited about a polytunnel after a chat with Barry... we were musing over how good it would be to construct one for salad crops throughout the winter. Having a browse on the internet it looked like my acquisition of the water piping was an act of inspiration. A quick measure up indicates I could build a pretty sizeable jobby with main cost being the plastic covering at about £100. Click here for an example.
This week's geek spot is about the sailing stones of Death Valley... they leave trails in the sand indicating movement, sometimes with an abrupt change in direction, and yet no one has ever seen them move. Video footage below.
Struggling on the cups front. Managed to wrest the tennis cup off Barry last night, but he's in holiday mood and somewhat laid back so only counts as half a victory. Not seen the squash or darts / snooker cups for some time, both being firmly held by David. And the new pitch and putt competition is consistently going John's way, though it is providing much amusement all round. Yesterday we managed to lose a club. Anyone could do that in the heat of battle you might think... but considering you only have two clubs at pitch and putt it's got to take a particular kind of incompetence to lose one of them and not notice for a while. Another visit to the charity shops scheduled to see if I can pick up a replacement... though I hope somewhat better than the putter I bought last week for £2. It didn't cure my inclination to send the ball at right angles to where the hole is. More video footage below.

UFO seen pursuing children on bikes

(Connor, Paige and Beth cycling off after popping in for lunch)
David hacking away after landing up in his favourite tree off the eight tee... think that makes three out of three on this hole for him!

Am I geeky enough.... no, be honest, am I?

Been worrying lately that my blog isn't geeky enough. By geeky I don't mean...
'A person regarded as foolish, inept or clumsy.
A person who is single-minded or accomplished in scientific or technical pursuits but is felt to be socially inept'
... but more the original meaning of the word...
'A carnival performer who's show consists of bizarre acts such as biting the head off a live chicken'
Am I starting to worry you yet? Are the feather fiends under threat? Think I should get out more and get one of those things everyone apparently needs ( a life that is). Even attempted the geek test with the following results...

Geek Test Results

You are 57.5% geeky.


Not bad. Maybe you spend a little too much time with your computer, but at least you have friends. You do have friends, right?

The current average score is: 32.48%

Fact: 20.41% of people who took this test claim to have attempted to build a robot.





Anyway, the point of the pondering is that I feel the need to tell you about things that will make this blog more unique, so this image (click to enlarge) is the first attempt. This saddle is one of the things I love about my Pashley bicycle. The bike itself cost £600, an extreme extravagance for me somewhat tempered by the fact I bought it under my work's Cycle To Work scheme, and overall it gives me huge pleasure cycling to the allotment, to squash/tennis, to the pub... oh, and cycling to work of course! Various bits of it add up to that enjoyment... apart, of course, from the adventures with the acrobatic gear selector. The saddle is made by Brookes of England and costs about £100 if bought it by itself. They've been making leather saddles since 1866. Unlike modern bikes with all their suspension in the wheel struts, the springs are positioned under the saddle. Seems a lot more sensible place to have them, though you can see they're serious stuff... hate to think of the outcome if one burst loose whilst I was cruising!

Enough geekiness for now... don't want to overdo it at the first attempt! But I'm thinking for the next instalment of strapping my camera to the bike handlebars and doing a video of my cycle home from the allotment. If you're lucky you'll be treated to some shots of me performing a perfect somersault over the handlebars. Think I'm joking... it wouldn't be the first time!

After three weeks of eager anticipation it's all gone strangely quiet on the collared dove front. A week ago a broken egg shell appeared on the floor under the nest. Since mum (note to children... I don't mean your mum, not that she wouldn't look equally comfortable perched in the tree) was still sitting on the nest (if you can call it that) we thought something must have hatched out. But yesterday she was off and the nest is empty. Strikes me pigeons generally are not exactly Mensa material and this one was particularly low in the grey matter department.
Much better news on the chicken front. Egg production is now up to three eggs per day... amazing what a little phrase like 'sage and onion stuffing' can do in the way of encouragement! Elly chicken, having gone over all funny and spent some days in the broody box, is now moulting so I guess she's the egg-less culprit.
Here's a picture of the younger of my two lovely daughters... Beth (on the right) did the five kilometre Race For Life last week and here's her and friend Naomi at the finish. She did it for me because of my blinking bladder (which continues to be all clear with another checkup in August). What a wonderful thing to do!

Trouble with t'chickens

Elly Chicken is back out of the box now and fully brood-free. Here's a video of her and the rest of the girls partaking in a bit of communal feather dusting. But with only two eggs a day I'm still not getting the full egg quota. Only just managing to keep up with the requirements of granddaughter Izzy, who's a bit grumpy without her daily fix.
Trouble is I can't fathom out if it's the same two laying all the time, or they're taking turns to produce the required orb. Could I adapt the old spy trick of sticking a hair across a door frame to see if anyone's entered (or anything's exited in this case)? How about a dab of different coloured poster paint in the required area so each egg indicates it's owner? It's a bit of a puzzler.
With yet another of my own personal painting the Forth Bridge sessions (i.e. strimming the grass) I've finally decided to have all my raised beds up this winter and convert the front plot to a more traditional and simple two bed system with a path down the middle. Give me loads more room and loads more time. Think I'll also focus on just a few vegetables rather than the scatter gun 'something will grow' method... something like onions, garlic, potatoes, salad stuff, tomatoes, peas and beans, cabbage and leeks.
Started planting out leeks this week... one of my all time favourite vegetables. Placing in troughs this time so I can bank them up as they grow and get a longer white stem. Here's progress so far (click to enlarge).
Have been keeping an eye on the water piping (hopefully the framing for my new fruit cage) just languishing away by itself on the new cemetary area. Spotted someone from the contractors looking over their finished work so went and asked him for his view. He thought it was spare to requirements, so dragged the piping across to my plot. Was more than a bit of a struggle... realised I was never going to drag it any further than the front bit unless I cut it up, and even getting it that far involved some choice language to help it along and a backward fall into the beetroots. Just to make sure it's OK I'll leave it on view and check it out with the groundsman when I next see him. Photo below of its new temporary home.
Played sons John and David pitch and putt yesterday and lost. Whenever I putted the ball shot off at right angles to where I was aiming. Think it's something about being used to turning my wrist when playing squash. John started strongly and waned, David started (just) and got better and better. Result went to John. So I'll have to get another cup to go with the tennis (currently held by Barry), squash (David) and pool/darts (me, hurrah!) cups played for.
Lots more photos and videos below. Thanks for reading my blog. John

Water piping in its new home.
(click to enlarge)
Tigerella tomato ripening.
Grandson Sammy's letter about his 'pets'.
Grandsons Sammy and Connor speaking about how much they like their friends.
UFOs that landed in daughter Becky's cooking tray and called themselves yorkshire puddings. Apparently they were delicious and spurred Barry on to winning the tennis cup yesterday evening!
Connor in the sea... he's the head in the water!
Granddaughter Izzy singing 'Baa Baa Blacksheep'
John (Tigger) playing golf
David (Lucky &*@?%!#) playing golf
Beth and Chris boxing. This is the best of three clips taken at their wedding anniversary in July 2008. Note the serious right hooks from Beth!

In all three clips Beth claims Chris is cheating... guess that means she lost!

Broody chicken

Elly chicken is brooding. Had noticed a drop in egg production. Next she was permanently sitting on the nest, reluctant to move. Finally, whenever I pushed her outside she'd have a right strop... see this video for a minute's worth of unhappy chicken.
Even when pecking around with the others she'd suddenly rush off as though pursued by a swarm of bees. Finally she was spooking the rest of the girls to such an extent that I didn't get any eggs at all one day.
So I knocked up a box with a wire base and she's been in there since Monday. I'll let her out this weekend when she'll hopefully be back to her normal self. See pictures at the bottom of this posting.
Babysat Connor and Paige last Saturday. Some incredulity on Beth's part when I said I was going to walk them to Hill Rise Park. As we arrived Connor announced he needed a poo ... desperately! Paige piped up that she needed one too. Now when Paige says she needs a poo you take notice, 'cause she's probably not been for a month. So some panic on my part as I tried to divert their attention onto ice creams we'd get on the way back. Paige decided she couldn't hold everything back and promptly downed tackle so she was bare from the waist down to have a wee.
By the time we got back home we were all desperate for the loo. Paige got in there first but was obviously too rushed... had to get her up from bed later to change her knickers. She sat on the loo and said she had to do a red face to make it work. Little sausage!
We've got yet another nesting bird in our garden, this time a collared dove. Difficult to realise at first since it's nest is the most haphazard platform of twigs imaginable. Here's a picture of mum (click to enlarge) proudly suspended above what should be two eggs that have another couple of weeks to go before hatching... so hopefully more photos to follow in future postings.
We've had some great results this year, with our first robin chicks in Spring, a blackbird nest a month later and numerous baby blackbirds that have escaped to the safety of our garden from the surrounding area. Might try making a set of sparrow boxes over winter.
And to confirm my success in the habitat-making sphere, the hedgehog box I installed in Beth's garden last winter was occupied a few weeks ago by a nesting mum. Unfortunately a dead baby hedgehog has appeared in their garden since then. Apparently there is a high rate of loss, but since the average litter is three or four newborns there's still a good chance of success.
The work to extend the cemetary has now finshed and I've resumed my peaceful cycle to the plot from that direction again. Managing to stay on the Pashley all the way with some significant wobbles on the rough ground. Made the mistake of attempting it after a heavy rainfall... only got about two metres onto soft earth before my tyres were so clogged up with mud they wouldn't turn any longer.
Here's some interesting water piping that's been left by the construction workers. Looks like no-one wants it... I certainly do. Would look rather nifty as part of my yet to be built fruit cage.
Been hoping I'd see the groundsman so I could ask if it's surplus to requirements, but no sign of him recently. If any of my fellow Hill Risers scroungers are reading this... I've staked my claim first!
Worrying news this week that a few sheds have been broken into. Hope it's not another spate of vandalism about to start.
Had a great day out walking with Barry yesterday. We did the Abbots Ripton walk and finished up with a great pub lunch at The Crown Inn in Broughton. Lovely village, really peaceful. Highly recommended. And we finished off the day in style with a wine tasting session at The Old Bridge Hotel, the last decision-making event in the build up to Becky's and Barry's wedding on Saturday 22nd August.
Thanks for reading my blog. More photos below. John


Chicken in a basket box
(click to enlarge)

















First crop of rapsberries and blackcurrants

















Potato flower with visitor


















Sunset over Allotment Heaven

Raised bed disadvantages

Back in the halcyon days when I was planning how wonderful my allotment was going to look the advantages of raised beds seemed overwhelming. Nice easy access, increasingly no need to dig as they got deeper with fine composted soil, better drainage for our clay infested ground, and of course I could pack plants in at a much greater rate than normal planting.
 
Don't know why they were halcyon days since I had a plot in front of me that looked like a straight transplant from one of the wilder corners of Bodmin Moor (click here to see what I was facing). Nevertheless, having raised beds did help me pace the digging... rather than a huge expanse to turn over I only had this one bed to do (so long as I kept my eyes averted from the other twelve!). After three and a half years (gosh, that long?) the disadvantages of my raised beds are now starting to grind, some of which can be seen from the image above (click to enlarge).
 
Firstly there's lots and lots of paths in between. All with lots and lots of grass to cut. The wood chip I put down in January has certainly suppressed the growth, but have added the occasional frisson of a flying chip bouncing off my pate. I spend about twenty minutes most days strimming before I do anything else, bit like painting the Forth bridge. Often my daily visit is only for an hour or so and that means a big chunk of available time used up already.
 
Secondly, the depth of the beds hasn't markedly improved in spite of loads of good stuff being added. Unless I get in a huge amount of compost at an equally huge price it'll take years, meanwhile I'm still struggling to grow carrots through lack of deep soil.
 
Finally, now I've got a second adjoining plot I've no need to pack plants in. In fact I've been getting comments back from the pack (wife and daughters) that I don't seem to be getting much bang for my bucks. Apparently Becky's friend Hayley does much better than me in spite of being a mother of four small children with active life in all directions who doesn't have much time spare yet keeps returning from her plot arms full of carrots, new potatoes, lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, garlic etc. etc...... yawn!
And last but not least, it just looks sooooooooooooo untidy at this time of year, when grass is sprouting from the wood surrounding the beds. So I'm toying with the idea of converting my front plot to a more traditional layout of dug beds and just have a few smaller and deeper raised beds to grow huge and delicious carrots. Can use the loads of leftover wood I'll have to build a treehouse for the grandchildren. So that's the winter months allocated! And of course more construction work.
 
Harvested the garlic and most of the onions, Everything in the greenhouse is bursting forth. Raspberries starting to ripen, although I'll only have a plateful. Recently bottled some rhubarb wine which tasted very nice (always have a quick slurp to check), so I've started actively watering the plants that had almost gone dormant to hopefully start more wine. Lots more images at the foot of this posting.
 
Had a great time on our few days in Scone with Bob, Amanda and Sophie, who treated us like royalty. Nice do to celebrate my parents sixtieth wedding anniversary. Video footage of the do
can be viewed by clicking any of the following links... clip one, clip two, clip three and clip four. Here's me and my two brothers, Bob and Andy, on Scone bowling green after I'd refereed a competition match between the two of them. Unfortunately I forgot to pack my winning streak before leaving and was narrowly beaten at bowls and pool. Think I needed longer to acclimatise to the altitude.
 
On returning I've not been able to find where I left that winning streak so evident before. Yet to win a squash match, and having been presented with a magnificent snooker cue for father's day by David and John they then proceeded to thrash me with my own weapon! How unfair is that!
 
Gearing up for my own personal Everest challenge in the jam making world... trying to turn brambles into something with the consistency more of jam than super glue. Be back to give you an update assuming I can detach my fingers from the jam jar!
Thanks for reading my blog. John


Here's another example of why too many raised beds can be a pain... it's difficult to weed when you've got netting up. (click to enlarge)
While we were away Princess Paige (aka Sleeping Beauty, or 'Sleeping' for short) tended the chickens in full battle dress.
What a result on the garlic front!
The japanese onions have performed really well, will use them again.
Fawn spotted by the roadside while in Scone, on our Stormontfield walk.
Stormontfield beach on the Tay river. One of my old teenage haunts. So nice and warm that Linda and I fell asleep for an hour!
Tigerella tomato.
Cornish Gilliflower apple.
Meadows Crane-bill.
Sleeping grass snake seen on our walk in Houghton Meadow near St Ives.
Cucumber flower.
Chicory flower.

Not sure if I'll be able to get into the greenhouse soon.
Potatoes doing well in spite of my usual trick of putting them in late and shallow.
Raspberries.

Last year's beetroot I'm growing for seed... another project!

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